Area farmers object to TDA weevil zone rules
Whether they're raising cotton with or without chemicals, several South Plains farmers objected Monday to proposed Texas Department of Agriculture rules governing the crop's treatment in a boll weevil eradication zone.
The occasion was a TDA hearing in Lubbock designed to elicit comments from growers concerning how organic production is treated.

Council's activities promote cotton abroad
Increasing overseas demand and consumer preference for domestic cotton fiber that's the key to profitability throughout the U.S. cotton infrastructure in an era marked by a cheap and over-abundant supply of man-made fiber.

Breaking new ground
The flavor savor tomato introduced a new idea to consumers, that of foods from genetically altered plants. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are on the rise. Over 50 percent of the cotton, corn and soybeans grown last year had modified traits.

Consumer news February 21, 2000
A new Web site offers consumers with Internet access a way to conveniently cash in on rebates without having to wait months for the cash. e-Save.com lists hundreds of products that come with rebates. You check off the products you want, print out the list, and go out and buy them. Afterward you send eSave the receipts circling the products that come with rebates and you get a single, lump-sum check within two weeks.

Work week February 21, 2000
BIG PROBLEM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: A POOR WORK ETHIC.
That's a common complaint among many employers looking for qualified help amid low unemployment. Dale Kjack, owner of an Express Personnel franchise in Cheyenne, Wyo., says it's hard to find people who come to work for more than a day, on time and sober. "It's getting worse because . . . they know they can walk across the street and get a job," he says.

Business Today February 22, 2000
DALLAS American Eagle, the American Airlines regional affiliate, will begin non-stop jet service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Corpus Christi on April 2, company officials announced Monday.

Anderson tries to rebuild Longhorn staff
In case you were wondering ...
The Texas Longhorns probably could not have chosen a better candidate to rebuild their shattered pitching, and the results could not have been much more immediate for Frank Anderson.

Culture Check
The movie "The Matrix" stars Keanu Reeves as Neo, a man who is in search of the answer to the question "What is the matrix?"

Teens have own scary driving experiences
Car accidents were the No. 1 killer of people between the ages of 15 and 20 in the year 1998. However, most people are not thinking about this statistic when they get in their car each day.
Even worse, many people are not even thinking about driving. They are so preoccupied with the events of their lives, and driving is such an automatic task for many people that it takes little thinking on the part of the driver to get from here to there.

Mentally Ill Offenders
THE INNOVATIVE WAY Lubbock County officials have found for dealing with a mentally ill person accused of a crime has caught the attention of the state's Senate Criminal Justice Committee, which is concerned about the increasing number of mentally ill inmates held in the state's county jails.
Sheriff David Gutierrez; Jean Brock, the county jail's health services administrator; Mary Mahan, Lubbock Regional Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center's adult behavioral health director, and other county officials traveled to Austin last week to testify before the committee.

The New Dollar Coin
DEMAND FOR THE NEW Sacagawea dollar -- or the "Golden Dollar," as some people are calling it -- has been very strong. U.S. Mint director Philip Diehl called the initial public response "a grand slam home run."

Reform Party Hurt?
THE NATIONALLY TELEVISED purging of the Reform Party earlier this month gave control of the party back to Ross Perot's supporters, but it also may have dealt a major blow to the party's credibility.

Scorekeeping Flawed
THE LEAGUE OF Conservation Voters' environmental scorecard simply doesn't tell the whole truth, which is exactly what U.S. Rep. Larry Combest said recently after receiving a zero from the group.

Bush Bounces Back
THE OFTEN-FRAGILE PENDULUM of political momentum swung in the direction of George W. Bush Saturday when he flexed his political muscles in South Carolina with a decisive victory over John McCain.
The 34 delegates won by Mr. Bush and the three delegates captured by Mr. McCain pale into insignificance compared with the crucial shift of momentum. Mr. Bush had predicted that he would not lose, and he very much needed a victory.

Tune in tonight
TONIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS
Host David Letterman returns to "Late Show" (10:35 p.m., KLBK) for the first time since undergoing quintuple bypass surgery on Jan. 14. His first guest will be host Regis Philbin, who happened to be his last guest before his surprise trip to the operating room.

Broadway to draw curtain on record-setting 'Cats'
NEW YORK {AP} The cast and fans of "Cats" on Sunday coped with the news that the longest-running show in Broadway history will be closing, sharing tears, hugs and even a few smiles.
"When I first heard the news, I was devastated," said Hector Montalvo, a Manhattan computer software salesman who said he has seen the show 670 times. As he stood in line for another performance Sunday, tears streamed down his face.

Seinfeld lends guest voice to 'Dilbert'
NEW YORK Jerry Seinfeld returns to primetime television. Sort of. The former master of his domain provides a guest voice on "Dilbert" (8:30 p.m., KUPT, TV-PG). He speaks for the gian

Beach Boy squelches rumors
Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson intends to continue performing but has quashed any rumors that he and Paul McCartney would be working together anytime soon.

Millionaire wedding tarnished
ENCINITAS, Calif. {AP} The groom from "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?" returned to his house alone after his Caribbean honeymoon and angrily denied that he had abused an ex-girlfriend.
Fox TV canceled a rebroadcast of the show after learning that a restraining order was issued in 1991 against Rick Rockwell because an ex-girlfriend accused him of hitting and threatening to kill her.

Hereford finds itself back in the playoffs
There was no rest for the weary in Hereford.
After a 15-game football schedule which saw the Whitefaces advance to the Class 4A Division I title game, eight members of the squad did not have a chance to cherish the moment because they had to shift gears into basketball season.

Cowboys eliminate Steers 71-60
WOLFFORTH (Special) Adam Garcia was not too happy with his first game back from knee surgery.
But the junior guard made up for it with his performance Monday.
Garcia scored 17 points as Plains upended Farwell 71-60 in a Class 2A boys bi-district playoff at Frenship.

LHS wins consolation
ABILENE (Special) The Lubbock High School softball team won the consolation title at the Abilene tournament late Saturday, following a loss to Stephenville with a pair of wins.
The Lady Westerners started the day with a 12-8 loss to Stephenville, as the Lady Jackets hammered out 12 hits. Lubbock then got a forfeit win over Winters before defeating Ballinger 8-2 in the consolation final.

Tascosa head football coach resigns
Tascosa head football coach and former Texas Tech football standout Doug McCutchen resigned Monday and will take over as Spring Independent School District athletic director on March 1.

Boys tip off; Girls keep rolling
It is not difficult learning who literally stands out for the Shallowater girls basketball team.
The Fillies did not have a player on their squad taller than 5-10 the past two seasons. How things can change in a year.

Boys tip off; Girls keep rolling
After winning better than 90 percent of its games and spending most of the year ranked in the state's top 10, the Frenship boys basketball team was stunned by a simple quarter.

'Absolute Power Corrupts'
I couldn't be happier that the ACLU has decided to provide legal representation to the gentleman in Lockney who opposes the school drug testing policy. Not only is this a violation of the students' civil rights, it's just another issue brought forth by the Reagan regime's "Just say no" attitude.

Mentally Ill Plan Praised
Re: "County shares plan for dealing with mentally ill (law) offenders" (A-J, 2-16). Compliments to your county and all involved for this program for treating the mentally impaired. Surely society -- and its sense of law and order -- has no validity without such humane foundation. Go here for an excellent reflective vision.

Drug Testing Concerns
Re: drug testing in schools. After reading many of the articles in The A-J concerning drug testing in our public schools, I have concerns that I have not seen addressed. The only information I have about the process of drug testing is that a urine sample is collected. Beyond that, I have no idea what happens.

Serve All Of Sentence
While reading the paper daily or listening to a local TV newscast, something is very apparent. On a yearly basis, a plethora of individuals is being tr

Venue Tax Editorial
The proposed venue tax on rental cars and hotel and motel rooms endorsed by The A-J editorial board (Feb. 12) appears to be in conflict with your stand on economic development. The use of the revenue to fund large-scale tourism projects possibly would attract more visitors, but the idea behind economic development is to bring physical industries into the city, thus creating more jobs which would indirectly increase our population.
In my opinion, we should want visitors to feel that we have made the effort to provide facilities that would be pleasing to them rather than to expect them to pay for the privilege of visiting our fair city.

Get Over Past Mistakes
In regard to the letter "Rebel Flag Offensive," (A-J, 2-9) about the offense taken by people when historical events/names are used, I would like the letter writer to know that it is this inability to get over our mistakes in the past that flames the "revisionist" attitude so pervasive in today's "you owe me (fill in the blank)" world.

Flag, Cross Inappropriate?
In reply to the letter (A-J, 2-9) referring to the Confederate battle flag. In the letter writer's rush to condemn all reference to the Confederate States of America and all symbols of that Confederacy, she has failed to include the Christian cross and the U.S. flag. After all, the KKK uses the symbol of Christianity as well as the U.S. flag in their rallies.

Jail Commissary 'Profit'
Re: "Jail contract pleases county commissioners" (A-J, 2-15). It is not generally known that prisoners at the Lubbock County Jail are required to buy their underwear, socks and bed sheets from the commissary. Their families are not permitted to bring them this clothing, which could easily be checked for contraband. This results in a burden on their families, who in many cases are struggling to make ends meet without a breadwinner.
The wives and children of jail inmates have not committed any crimes. It is not the county's business to punish them. Yet the county's commissary income of $90,000 a year derives in part from a hidden tax on some of our poorest and most vulnerable people. This policy is misguided and wrong. It is not a reason for congratulations on jail commissary "profit."

Bell tackles special projects for local Cultural Center
If this were a perfect world, Jane Bell probably would have left the University of Texas with her degrees in English and the classics, her studies in philosophy and history, and settled down to enjoy each day by reading, writing and traveling.
It's a nice dream, perhaps even a bit unexpected for a woman who still recalls when "daddy planted us in a cotton field nine miles west of Plainview. ... So I really am from this area."

Education Briefly February 21, 2000
Tech opens enrollment for therapy workshop
Texas Tech Division of Outreach and Extended Studies is now accepting enrollments for the Filial/Family Play Therapy: Involving Parents in the Difficult-to-Treat Child's Therapy workshop.

Network presents candidate forum
The South Plains Area Residents Taxpayers Action Network (SPARTAN) is sponsoring a candidate forum at 7 p.m. today at International Business College, 4630 50th St.

City taking applications for loan program
The city of Lubbock's Community Development department is taking applications for a citywide beautification loan program called the Exterior Home Repair/Roofing Loan Program.

Tech researchers secure grant to study wheat
As scientists wrap up their work on mapping every gene in the human body, Texas Tech is taking the lead in another government-led genome project this one involving wheat.
Tech will be one of two institutions leading a National Science Foundation grant project to uncover the genetic qualities of wheat, a plant whose genes contain more than five times as much DNA as human genes and which is the second-leading food crop in the world.

Bomb-sniffing dog to join Sheriff's Office
The Lubbock County Sheriff's Office will soon be the only Texas-run law enforcement agency with a federally certified bomb-detecting dog.
The only other dog in Texas with similar expertise is assigned to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms district office in Dallas, said Robert Levingston III, Lubbock's ATF resident agent-in-charge.

Littlefield allots $210,000 for dairies
LITTLEFIELD Recent economic development projects are creating an influx of employment opportunities in Lamb County.
With a major economic development project already under construction, the City of Littlefield recently approved funding to bring two new dairies to town.

Students to test Hoel Park Lake
Students from Texas Tech in cooperation with the city of Lubbock will perform a test on Phil Hoel Park Lake, 92nd Street and Chicago Avenue, to determine the circulation patterns within the lake.

CMN radiothon fund-raiser set
From 6 a.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Saturday, radio station KLLL-FM 96.3 will host the second Nautilus Radiothon benefiting Children's Miracle Network.

Lecture to cover influence of vampire
The Howard Welborn Lecture on vampires will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at the International Cultural Center Auditorium on the Texas Tech campus.

Anniversary dinner, program set for Eye Bank
The Great Plains Lions Eye Bank will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. today in the McInturff Conference Center at University Medical Center, 602 Indiana Ave.

Practice makes perfect
When it comes to exams, perhaps nothing is stressed more and causes more stress than the TAAS test.
So when thousands of Lubbock Independent School District's fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders take their seats today with No. 2 pencils in hand for the writing portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test, they'll already have written dozens of practice essays and memorized mnemonic devices to help them remember key writing elements.

Region Briefly February 21, 2000
Railhead Trade Days ride into Colorado City
COLORADO CITY Colorado City will sponsor Railhead Trade Days March 18 and 19 in the historic Railhead Building located at the corner of First and Elm.

Vandalism plagues candidates' pocketbooks
A spate of vandalism has left some local candidates wondering whether they should shell out hundreds of dollars to replace campaign signs that were stolen or destroyed last weekend.

Tendency to overheat begins at very young age
PHILADELPHIA Children learn to overeat at a very young age, long before they are old enough to go to the 7-Eleven and buy a super-sized soda and some chips.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that 3-year-olds stop eating when they are full, while 5-year-olds tend to eat whatever is presented to them, regardless of whether they are still hungry or not.

Rural Texas coping with care shortage
FORT WORTH {AP} Many Texans are farther away from health care than in the past, mainly because the counties they live in can't recruit new country doctors, according to a state agency that monitors the dwindling number of rural physicians.

Course for caregivers to begin Monday
The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Lubbock will sponsor the "Visions for Tomorrow Education Course" beginning Monday for caregivers of children with brain disorders.

Country medicine faces ill times
The issue of rural health care has long been a chief concern at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, and to keep some rural practices healthy, Tech recently subcontracted more than $20 million in work treating prison inmates to rural hospitals and doctors across West Texas.
"We did that because, number one, we thought it was right, and quite frankly, it could save some rural hospitals," said Dr. David Smith, president of the Health Sciences Center. "Let them have the business. It's all part of the health care strategy.'

Lee to appear in Bradley ad
NEW YORK {AP} Film director Spike Lee will star in a television ad aimed at helping Bill Bradley come from behind in the Democratic presidential race in New York.

MD-80 crash lands
SOUTH BEND, Ind. {AP} A MD-80 passenger jet headed from Las Vegas to Cleveland made an emergency landing Monday at the South Bend Regional Airport after its crew reported problems maintaining level flight.

Nation Briefly February 21,2000
Avalanches claims skiers' lives
CONCORD, N.H. {AP} An avalanche on New England's highest peak smothered a skier Sunday, one day after a different avalanche killed a skier in upstate New York.

Political accusations heat up in Michigan
SAGINAW, Mich. {AP} Pointing toward today's second key primary clash in four days, John McCain accused George W. Bush of waging a campaign of "character assassination." The front-runner aimed his public barbs at Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
In the heart of auto country, Bush cited comments Gore made years ago in a book critical of the internal combustion engine. "I look forward to him campaigning up here and saying, 'My vision for America is one where you won't be working,' " Bush said Monday.

Bush, McCain take battle to Michigan
EAST LANSING, Mich. {AP} Fresh from a South Carolina triumph, George W. Bush said Sunday he was campaigning to "bring our country together." John McCain called his Republican rival a big-spender, then taunted, "if he's a reformer, I'm an astronaut."
Both men moved through the first day of a tightly compressed campaign in Michigan as the pace of the Republican presidential nomination battle quickened. It fell to McCain, the underdog in uncontested need of a win, to outline the stakes.

King switches alliances, endorses Bush's rival
WASHINGTON {AP} Rep. Peter King shifted his support Sunday and endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination, accusing former ally George W. Bush of displaying a "willingness to take any road to the White House."

FBI ordered to make public notes on Lennon
LOS ANGELES {AP} A federal judge ordered the FBI to release notes from a phone conversation and two letters about John Lennon, the Beatles singer who was murdered in 1980.

People in the news February 22, 2000
Romanowski strikes a pose
Denver Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski and his wife are baring some skin in the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Nun says defection talk made her take sides in Elian case
MIAMI {AP} A nun involved in a meeting between Elian Gonzalez and his Cuban grandmothers decided the 6-year-old should remain in the United States after she was told one of the grandmothers wanted to defect, her spokeswoman said Sunday.

Microsoft, governmnt back in courtroom for final round
WASHINGTON {AP} Lawyers for Microsoft and the government return to the courtroom today for a last round of arguments before a final ruling in the antitrust trial that could fundamentally change the way consumers buy and use the software needed for computers to operate.

New judge to be assigned to Elian's case
MIAMI {AP} A new judge will be assigned to the Elian Gonzalez case after the previous one was hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms. A critical hearing Tuesday on whether the court has jurisdiction in the boy's case also has been postponed.

Nation Briefly February 22, 2000
Georgia aims to end electrocutions
ATLANTA {AP} Afraid the U.S. Supreme Court will ban the electric chair, the Georgia House voted overwhelmingly Monday to phase out electrocution and execute inmates by lethal injection.

Thousands say farewell to cartoonist
SANTA ROSA, Calif. {AP}Tennis great Billie Jean King, cartoonist Cathy Guisewite and other fans of Charles Schulz remembered the "Peanuts" creator Monday as a humble genius who never realized until his dying days how much the world loved him.

Fight over China trade benefits puts Democrats in a bind
WASHINGTON {AP} Rattled by what many view as mixed signals from Vice President Al Gore, congressional Democrats are exploring ways to make a difficult vote on granting permanent trade benefits to China more politically acceptable.

Clinton ranks lowest in moral authority
WASHINGTON {AP} President Clinton rates near the top for managing the economy and pursuing equal justice, but dead last when measured for "moral authority," according to a ranking of presidents by 58 historians.

Bill Stanley
CANYON (Special) Prayer service for Bill Stanley, 58, of Canyon will be at 7 p.m. today at Brooks Funeral Chapel.

Marie Sanders
Services for Marie Sanders, 83, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Southcrest Baptist Church with David Wilson officiating.

Darnell Bailey
DENVER CITY (Special) Service for Darnell Bailey, 70, of Denver City will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Denver City with the Rev. Bob Webb of First Baptist Church officiating with assistance by Glenn Reece.

Vera Cantrell
HEREFORD (Special) Services for Vera Lee Cantrell, 91, of Hereford will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Rose Chapel of Gililland-Watson Funeral Home with the Rev. Donald Fortner of Seventh Day Adventist Church in DeQueen, Ark., officiating.

Calvin Mangrum
Services for Calvin "Al" Mangrum, 73, of Lubbock will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Oakwood Baptist Church with the Rev. Cleve Haley officiating.

Carl Richardson
SAN ANTONIO (Special) Services for Carl Evon Richardson, 55, of San Antonio will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Sunset Northwest Funeral Home in Bandera.

Edward Irby
Services for Edward Irby, 67, of Lubbock will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Shadow Hills Baptist Church with the Rev. Walter Goodnight officiating.

Francis Maldonado
Services for Francis Luna Maldonado, 75, of Lubbock, will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church with the Rev. Michael O'Dwyer officiating.

Hollis Borland
ROPESVILLE (Special) Services for Hollis Fowler Borland, 78, of Ropesville will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Ropesville Church of Christ with Oscar Batten and Bill McGlaun officiating.

Thomas Johnson
PAMPA (Special) Vigil service for Thomas William "Tom" Johnson, 79, of Pampawill be be 7 p.m. today at Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Home Colonial Chapel.

Walter Gillon
RALLS (Special) Services for Walter Ellis Gillon, 62, of Ralls, will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Ralls' First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Gary Hubbard, pastor, officiating.

Gertrude Barley
PLAINVIEW (Special) Services for Gertrude Barley, 76, of Plainview, will be at 11 a.m. today in Lemons Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Coates, minister of education/administration at First Baptist Church, officiating.

James Rudder
ANDREWS (Special) Graveside services for James "Jim" Rudder, 66, of Andrews will be 10 a.m. Tuesday in Old Andrews Cemetery with the Rev. H.A. Hooks, pastor of First Baptist Church in Andrews, officiating.

Terry Chambers
PLAINVIEW (Special) Services for Terry Lynn Chambers, 27, of Sulpher, Okla., will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Northside Baptist Church in Plainview with the Rev. Roger Foote, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, officiating and the Rev. Don Hill, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Tulia, assisting.

Darnell Bailey
DENVER CITY (Special) Service for Darnell Bailey, 70, of Denver City will be at 2 p.m. today at First Baptist Church of Denver City with the Rev. Bob Webb of First Baptist Church officiating with assistance by Glenn Reece.

William Criss Jr.
Graveside services for William "Indian Bill" David Criss Jr., 70, of Lubbock, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday with Larry Williams of Littlefield officiating.

Elmer Pierce
PLAINVIEW (Special) Services for Elmer Ray Pierce, 69, of Plainview, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Max Browning, pastor, officiating.

Eula Howard
CLOVIS, N.M. (Special) Services for Eula "Bea" Howard, 76, of Farwell will be at 10 a.m. today at Steed-Todd Chapel in Clovis with the Rev. Richard Laverty officiating.

Nina Collins
HEREFORD Services for Nina Collins, 92, of Hereford will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Willow Cemetery in Haskell with the Rev. Dusty Garison officiating.

Thurmond Moore Jr.
SPUR (Special) Services for Thurmond W. Moore Jr., 72, of Spur will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the First Baptist Church with Eric Swenson of Spur and Dennis Wilson of Lubbock officiating.

Jewell Griffiths
MULESHOE (Special) Services for Jewell Stevens Griffiths, 94, of Muleshoe, will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church with Stacey Connor officiating.

Zenie Griffin
OLTON (Special) Graveside services for Zenie B. Griffin, 84, of Olton will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Griffin Family Cemetery with Brother T.J. Pittman of Wellington officiating.

R.T. Brewer
O'DONNELL (Special) Graveside services for R.T. "Jack" Brewer, 87, of O'Donnell will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at O'Donnell Cemetery with the Rev. Ken Peterson, pastor of First United Methodist Church, officiating.

David Murray
Services for David K. Murray, 50, of Hayward, Calif., will be at 11 a.m. today at Green Lawn Church of Christ with Dale Manning officiating.

Katherine Bernosky
Graveside services for Katherine L. "Granny" Bernosky, 83, of Artesia, N.M., will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Resthaven Memorial Park under the direction of Resthaven Funeral Home.

George Hunt
Services for George Wilbur Hunt, 81, of Lubbock will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Asbury United Methodist Church with the Revs. David Treat, Herb Tavenner and James Carter officiating.

Lurleene Ashburn
HALE CENTER (Special) Graveside services for Lurleene Ashburn, 80, of Hale Center will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fairview Cemetery in Tuxedo with the Rev. James Brigham officiating.

Creola McPhail
Services for Creola McPhail, 94, of Lubbock will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Broadway Church of Christ Chapel with Joe Burks and Bill Phillips officiating.

Crime wrap February 21, 2000
Blotter information is compiled from reports filed with the Lubbock Police Department. To report information about these or any other crimes, call Crime Line at 741-1000. In some cases, cash rewards are offered. Callers may remain anonymous.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

Crime wrap February 22, 2000
Blotter information is compiled from reports filed with the Lubbock Police Department. To report information about these or any other crimes, call Crime Line at 741-1000. In some cases, cash rewards are offered. Callers may remain anonymous.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS

It's Miller time as Pacers win
INDIANAPOLIS Offense or defense doesn't make any difference to Reggie Miller when it produces a victory.
Miller had 15 points, including two free throws with 14.4 seconds left, but it was his defense in the final seconds which salvaged Indiana's 94-93 victory Monday over the Dallas Mavericks.

Triplett wins first title
LOS ANGELES {AP} After 11 years of grinding on the PGA Tour, after 266 tournaments wondering whether this would finally be his week to win, Kirk Triplett anticipated a wild wave of emotions and errant shots down the stretch in the Nissan Open.

Late accidents shuffle Benson back
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. {AP} Johnny Benson was on the verge of becoming Mr. Upset at the Daytona 500. That's when Jimmy Spencer stepped in and helped Dale Jarrett win.

Daytona 500 Results
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. {AP} Results Sunday of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series NAPA Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, with starting position in parentheses, driver, make of car, laps completed, reason out (if any) and money won:

A delayed return to NBA for Kareem
NEW YORK {AP} Maybe they didn't think he was serious. Maybe they didn't think the NBA's career scoring leader would be willing to sit on the sidelines as an assistant coach. Maybe he intimidated them.

Duncan, Spurs tip Rockets in OT
HOUSTON Tim Duncan scored 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 113-111 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

No. 88 dominates Daytona, wins 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. {AP} Dale Jarrett knew after just four laps he was still the favorite in the Daytona 500.
Any worries he might have had about his powerful No. 88 Ford, damaged in a crash in the final practice, disappeared as he drove confidently around Daytona International Speedway a track that has become his personal playground.

Probe under way in handcuffing of 4-year old boy
HOBBS, N.M. Authorities are investigating a Lea County Sheriff's deputy after he handcuffed a 4-year-old boy twice during a domestic disturbance, Lea County Sheriff Keith Rice said Monday.
The boy's father requested the investigation after the Jan. 31 incident in which his oldest son, who is 17, had an emotional episode, prompting his parents to call authorities.

Crew saves Endeavour radar
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. {AP} Their mapping of Earth completed, space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts pulled in their 197-foot radar antenna mast Monday and latched it down after struggling with it for two tense hours.
Applause erupted in Mission Control when, on the fourth try, the lid finally slammed shut on the canister holding the folded-up mast and all three latches were secured. If the latches had not closed, the crew almost certainly would have had to dump the canister and the $35 million mast overboard.

Astronauts fit one more day into mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. {AP} Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts squeezed in one last day of Earth mapping on Sunday, giving scientists more radar data than they had expected a week ago.

Aging Galileo spacecraft faces dangerous flyby of Jupiter moon
PASADENA, Calif. {AP} Galileo will make its closest flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io this week as controllers race to put it through ever riskier maneuvers before the aging spacecraft conks out.
Mission managers acknowledge the risks but say they want to make the most of what likely will be the spacecraft's final months. Galileo, circling the solar system's largest planet for more than four years, long ago exceeded expectations.

LCU baseball plays its first home game today
It will be only one game instead of two, but the Lubbock Christian University baseball team can't complain. At least the Chaparrals get to play at home for the first time today.

Pac-10 reprimands players
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. {AP} Three Pacific-10 basketball players were reprimanded Monday for their part in a fight Saturday night after the USC-Arizona State game.

Oklahoma St. 84, Missouri 72
COLUMBIA, Mo. Desmond Mason had 25 points and nine rebounds as Oklahoma State held off a furious late rally by Missouri for an 84-72 victory Monday night.

No. 2 Lady Vols whip LSU 80-48
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. LSU knew what to expect in its second meeting with No. 2 Tennessee. But once again, the No. 9 Tigers were no match for the Lady Vols.

Dickerson earns Player of the Week
Texas Tech forward Keitha Dickerson has been selected as Big 12 women's basketball player of the week after leading the Lady Raiders to two victories last week.

Kansas 53, Oklahoma 50
LAWRENCE, Kan. Those 10 points by Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera against Nebraska last Monday night no longer are his lowest output of the season.

So Long, Sonja
WACO {AP} Sonja Hogg, the outspoken coach who revived Baylor's struggling women's basketball program and led the Lady Bears to their first postseason appearance in 17 years, is retiring after the worst of her six seasons here.
The outspoken Hogg was once reprimanded for comments she made about officiating.

St. John's pulls off upset of UConn
NEW YORK {AP} St. John's starting backcourt of Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton outscored its counterparts 42-2 and the Red Storm rolled to their sixth straight victory, 79-64 over No. 22 Connecticut on Monday night.

Sports Briefly February 21,2000
LCU seeks entries for Saturday race
Entries are being taken this week for the Lubbock Christian University President's Run scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday outside the LCU Fieldhouse at 5601 19th St.

Texas Tech at New Mexico
Records: Tech 6-6, New Mexico 7-6.
About Tech: After soaring to the highest of highs last weekend against Southern California, Texas Tech was brought to the lowest of lows when it was swept in a three-game series at No. 24 Long Beach State, including two straight shutout losses. Coupled with a loss at the beginning of last week at TCU, Tech has now lost four straight games for the third time since the beginning of last season. Tech twice had four-game losing streaks during the 1999 campaign, one coming during a road swing to California. The last time Tech lost more than four in a row was in 1992 when the Red Raiders lost six straight at the beginning of the season. That was also the last time Tech had a .500 or worse record that deep into the season when it started 6-9 and finished at 29-25, 15-19 in the Southwest Conference. The good news for Tech is that after last year's four-game losing streak during the California trip, the Red Raiders won 18 of their next 19 games and finished third in the Big 12 Conference. This is the last non-conference game for Tech before they start Big 12 Conference play at home against Missouri. Because of several injuries to the pitching staff, it is uncertain who Tech will pitch in today's game.

Long Beach St. shuts down Texas Tech 8-0
LONG BEACH, Calif. (Special) Texas Tech did not get to Russel Rohlicek early and wound up not getting to Long Beach State pitching at all.
Wasting two base runners in each of the first three innings, the Red Raiders' punishment was a second consecutive shutout loss Sunday, this time 8-0 in a baseball game shortened to seven-plus innings by rain.

COACHES NEEDED FOR SOCCER
Odessa High School is taking applications for a head girls soccer coach. Teaching field is social studies. For more information contact Don Ford, Ector County Independent School District at (915) 334-7172 or Jim Carson, Odessa High Campus Athletic Coordinator at (915) 337-6655. Resumes can be mailed to Ector ISD, P.O. Box 3912, Odessa, 79760.

Now it's Coach Ehlo
SPOKANE, Wash. {AP} After a 14-year NBA career and 76 playoff game appearances, Craig Ehlo knows the joy of winning.

Death row inmates holding officer
LIVINGSTON {AP} Two death row inmates who were part of a botched escape in 1998 took a female guard hostage Monday in a new prison that was supposed to be more secure.

Retro artist brings 'junk' to life
AUSTIN {AP} Standing in Todd Sanders' backyard is like stepping into a time machine: vintage signs and memorabilia take you back to an era of soda fountains, hot rods and rock 'n' roll.

Lotto winner keeps prize money secret
SAN ANTONIO {AP} Juan Rodriguez has proven he can keep a secret.
The Atascosa County man did not tell his family that he was a Lotto Texas jackpot winner for 10 days.

Poll shows incumbents have edge
AUSTIN Attorneys participating in a State Bar of Texas poll favored incumbents in the state court judicial elections, according to poll results released Monday.
The lawyers strongly supported Justices Nathan Hecht, Priscilla Owen and Al Gonzales, all Republicans on the Texas Supreme Court.

Vox Populi February 22, 2000
Need to sound off about something that's bugging you? Need to boast about something? Vox Populi offers you a forum. Here's a sampling of recent comments.
Charlie Brown has finally learned how to kick the football. Tom Landry has taught him how this week.

Protests erupt in Kosovo
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia {AP} French and British troops fired tear gas to push back thousands of ethnic Albanians trying to force their way across a bridge into the Serb-controlled side of this ethnically divided city.
The Albanians were the lead contingent of up to 50,000 protesters who marched on this northwestern Kosovo industrial city.

Hijacker killed by militiamen
BOGOTA, Colombia {AP} Paramilitary gunmen killed a convicted murderer who had hijacked a domestic flight at knifepoint and forced it to land, authorities said Sunday.

Guerrillas kill four in Senegal
DAKAR, Senegal {AP} Separatist guerrillas in Senegal ambushed two tour buses, killing two soldiers and two tour guides and injuring about 20 European tourists, Senegalese newspapers reported Monday.

Swedish TV told to drop game show
STOCKHOLM, Sweden {AP} Authorities ordered a television station Monday to stop broadcasting the Swedish version of the popular quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," ruling the program is more a lottery than a real contest.

Iranian reformists set to break hard-line monopoly
TEHRAN, Iran {AP} A former intelligence minister whose agents were accused of killing political enemies was among leading hard-liners going down to defeat Sunday as it became increasingly clear that Iranians want a reform-minded parliament.
If the returns from Friday's election continue to favor the reformists, as is likely, it will be the first time the parliament is free of hard-line domination since the 1979 Islamic revolution brought the clergy to power.

Pilot's son stirs images of Cold War
BERLIN {AP} In the days after May 1, 1960, the world learned of Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spyplane was shot down over Russia in one of the flashpoints of the 40-year standoff between the world's superpowers.

Iran faction expected to bring reform
President Mohammad Khatami's reformist faction routed the hard-line opposition in historic legislative elections that Iranians hope will lead to more freedom and jobs in this fundamentalist Muslim country. Now he has to deliver.

Puerto Ricans protest Navy bombing agreement
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico {AP} Summoned by Puerto Rico's top religious leaders, more than 80,000 people staged one of the biggest demonstrations in years Monday to protest the planned resumption of U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques.

Barak warns Lebanon of possible retaliation
JERUSALEM {AP} The army will retaliate harshly if Lebanese guerillas attack Israel after it pulls out of Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Monday, outlining his post-withdrawal strategy for the first time.